Company Press Release: Orient-Express Hotels
March 27, 2000
HAMILTON, Bermuda -- Orient-Express Hotels, subsidiary of Sea Containers Ltd., (NYSE: SCRA, SCRB, http://www.seacontainers.com)
has completed its agreement with Nara Corporation of Yokohama, Japan for the acquisition of the 100 room Observatory
Hotel in Sydney and the 86 room Lilianfels Hotel in the Blue Mountains 60 miles west of Sydney, Australia. The
combined purchase price is approximately A$65 million (US$40 million).
``We are delighted to be strengthening our presence in Australia in such an important year for the country,'' commented
Simon M. C. Sherwood, President of Orient-Express Hotels. ``We have had a very successful association with The
Observatory Hotel since the project was first conceived in 1993 and are pleased to bring it under our ownership.
``Lilianfels also has a wonderful reputation, borne out by many national and international awards. In April 1999,
we launched the Great South Pacific Express, a luxury tourist train which runs from Cairns to Sydney via Brisbane,
with stops to visit the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforest in Kuranda. We can now bring together all three of
our businesses and offer both visitors and Australian nationals wonderful experiences in some of the most spectacular
scenery in the world.''
SOURCE: Orient-Express Hotels